It seems self-evident that giving is a good thing. But there are profound arguments against a social stress on giving, many of them couched in the language of justice. In this book, scholars from a variety of fields associated with philanthropy discuss the moral issues surrounding efforts to do good. The chapters are arranged in five parts: "Important Exemplars," "Deciding Whom to Help," "Issues for Religious Communities," "The Importance and Insufficiency of Charity," and "Retrospect and Prospect."

The contributors are David M. Craig, Elliot N. Dorff, David C. Hammack, Amy A. Kass, John Langan, S.J., Paul Pribbenow, Paul G. Schervish, David H. Smith, William M. Sullivan, Philip Turner, and Patricia H. Werhane.